The TOP FIVE action figures of 2013! It all comes down to this list. Anything not on this page was pure shit. Let us ring in 2014 with the definitive top five action figures made this year.

If you notice a robot trend it is purely coincidental … or lazy planning on my part.

05. Mastermind Creations – R03 Bovis

I’ve always been envious of people with full G1 Predakings. He has always been one of those Transformers I’d planned on getting, but timing never really worked out. Luckily my “Company of the Year” Mastermind Creations decided to tackle the great Predaking. They also made the executive decision to make all the parts voyager-size, so the end result “Feral Rex” is going to be gigantic!

I don’t think that Bovis was supposed to be the first release, but delays to the other parts pushed him up a bit. He turned out to be an incredible update to the original Tantrum.

04. Hot Toys – The Dark Knight Joker 2.0

I probably have a slight man-crush on the Heath Ledger Joker character. I can’t be the only one though because I’ve been to conventions and I’ve seen that he is the number one character people dress up as. Hot Toys are something I buy on a very rare occasion. My only two Hot Toys are of the Heath Ledger Joker. This one feels like the quintessential version of the character. They also pack this thing up with an intimidating amount of accessories. This is the type of release that comes along once in a very long while, where they managed to improve on something I previously found perfect. Bravo Hot Toys, you make great Joker figures, and never hesitate to make a new Iron Man armor either!

03. Mastermind Creations – R01 Terminus Hexatron

Talk about value for what you get. Terminus Hexatron was Mastermind Creation’s take on Transformer’s Sixshot, and if you grab him you will never need to buy a Sixshot figure again. Mastermind Creations blew me away with this release making a hell of a first impression. I had never purchased any of their previous figures, and ended up being amazed with the quality, price, and presentation.

Everything about this figure oozes with class. If there is a first class section of third-party Transformers, Mastermind Creations has it solidly occupied with their efforts this year.

02. Fans Toys – FT03 Quake Wave

THE third-party Shockwave. Made to Masterpiece proportions and transforms into a perfect G1 gun or robot. Add some nice die-cast heft to the legs and LED lights and this guy is the real deal.

Quake Wave is both the Shockwave we need and deserve.

What? Is my top five full of Transformers? Well let us fix that with our number one pick …

01. Takara – Masterpiece Soundwave

There have been quite a few Masterpiece Transformers released this year but none compare to the great Soundwave. If you were impatient like me you imported the Takara version which only came with Laserbeak. I then went back in for the $60 cassette packs. Was it worth it? Hell yes it was.

Soundwave holds a special place for me this year because if it wasn’t for him I would probably still be avoiding Transformers. This figure reminded me of how cool those robots in disguise really are. He also helped me learn that I can be selective with my collection. They are expensive action figures and I’d rather have a collection I want to keep over one I will enjoy short-term then try to turn around and sell when something else comes along.

Sure there was that Toys “R” Us version with all the tapes for a lot less money. But that yellow visor is for suckers!

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Well, it has certainly been a year this year. Have a safe and healthy 2014, and maybe check out the site occasionally. We plan to do at least another year before we lose interest completely.

I also realized I say “we” like anyone else actually does stuff here besides me. Nope just lonely me, sitting at my desk on New Years Eve listening to Andrew WK. Happy New Year!